


A Big Mistake

by Bluewolf458



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Gen, Sentinel Thursday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-13
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-12-14 23:03:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11793315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluewolf458/pseuds/Bluewolf458
Summary: The army wants Jim...





	A Big Mistake

**Author's Note:**

> I don't normally write death stories; but occasionally that's the way an idea develops...
> 
> Written for the Sentinel Thursday prompt 'rash'

A Big Mistake

by  Bluewolf

What had started off as a carefree weekend suddenly became a deadly encounter.

Returning from a day's hiking, Jim and Blair walked into the clearing where their tent was pitched to find that there were several men in army uniform there; sitting, but alert.

"What the hell - " Jim began. So sure they were alone, he'd had his senses set to 'normal'.

"You will come with us, Captain," the man in command, whose insignia marked him as a major, said as his men rose to their feet, surrounding the two.

"I'm a civilian now," Jim snarled. "I stopped being a captain years ago."

"You're being recalled." The Major glanced at Blair. "We don't need your your little academic friend, though. I'm afraid he'll have to die. we can't have him reporting that the army reclaimed you."

"That's a pretty rash decision," Jim said. "Kill him and I won't have any incentive to co-operate."

"You won't have him holding you back, either." The Major glanced at one of his men, and nodded. Before Jim could react, the man raised a gun and fired. Blair fell back, blood spouting from his chest; Jim could hear his heart stop beating.

"That was a big mistake," he said.

He was only half conscious of the Major saying something about 'Sentinel... value... army... ' as he deliberately set his mind to listening for the one thing he would never hear again - his guide's heartbeat. Almost immediately he felt himself drifting into a zone.

"Ellison!" The Major snapped.

Nothing.

The Major stepped forward and slapped Jim's face with deliberate strength. The blow was hard enough to knock Jim off his feet; Jim lay unmoving.

The Major frowned, then said, "Bring him. We can leave the other one - what use is a worthless body?"

They hadn't expected to have to carry their target the mile to where they had left their vehicles, but it was easy enough for one of the men to haul Jim over one shoulder in a fireman's carry as they headed off.

They traded off the job of carrying Jim several times as they marched quickly back to the small parking lot where Jim's truck and their vehicles were; they pushed Jim into the back seat of one, took their places, and headed off.

Five hours later, back at their base, they took Jim - who had remained completely unresponsive to everything they tried doing to recall him to consciousness - to their medical officer. After giving Jim a quick check, the medic shook his head. "He's dead."

The hapless private who had remained behind to get the medic's diagnosis took a deep, resigned breath, knowing that his commanding officers would not be pleased and might very well shoot the messenger.

The Major, the Colonel and a third man who, while wearing civilian clothes carried an air of command, looked expectantly at the private as he entered.

"I'm sorry, sir - he's dead."

Only the civilian looked unsurprised. He looked at the Major. "I told you Sandburg was important in his own way," he said. "You killed the guide. That left the sentinel with no will to live."

"You didn't say why a 'guide' was important, Brackett," the Colonel said.

"All Major Lester had to do was bring them both here. Then it would have been obvious," Brackett replied. "Besides, you would have had a good bargaining chip in Sandburg; punish him any time Ellison put a foot wrong, tried to assert his independence. You would only have had to do it once; Ellison would have stopped fighting you to keep his guide safe. Now... well, you're no worse off than you were."

***

Sitting unseen in a corner of the room, a wolf and a panther looked at each other.

/Brackett!/ the panther snarled.

/At least it wasn't entirely his fault. It certainly wasn't his fault that Lester was an idiot./

/True,/ the panther admitted.

/Well... the mortal world won't concern us for a while. We won't be reborn for another year or two. Let's go and have some fun./

/I was enjoying our last life,/ the panther growled. /The only fun I want right now is frightening these idiots!/

The wolf gave a very doggy grin. /Just the Colonel, Lester and maybe Brackett. The others didn't know the score, and were just obeying orders./

/True./

/All right - we hang about for a few days, give the two officers nightmares for the next week, then we head off and enjoy ourselves./

/Yeah - enjoy ourselves. But I'll really enjoy giving those two nightmares! And Brackett? Maybe one or two, just for fun./

The wolf gave his partner's face a quick lick. /You know something? I'll enjoy it too! And I don't think anyone will blame us./

Side by side the two spirits moved through the wall, across the compound, through the fence and into the open country beyond. They would return that night, ready for revenge.


End file.
